DA releases transcripts from review of Portland shooting

PORTLAND — The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office released transcripts Thursday from the grand jury review of last month's fatal police shooting of an Iraq War veteran.

By STEVEN DUBOIS

PORTLAND — The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office released transcripts Thursday from the grand jury review of last month's fatal police shooting of an Iraq War veteran.

The grand jury found no criminal wrongdoing in the March 4 death of 32-year-old Santiago Cisneros III, who was visiting from Seattle. Police Officers Michele Boer and Brad Kula testified they returned fire after Cisneros shot at them on the top level of a northeast Portland parking garage.

At a Thursday news conference, police officials said they never determined why Cisneros followed the officers to the garage and took out a shotgun. "This happened very quickly," police Chief Mike Reese said. "The officers acted instinctively and they reacted as we trained them to do."

Santiago Cisneros Jr. of Portland told the grand jury his son suffered from depression and had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. It was severe enough that he once had to be hospitalized for about six months in California. The elder Cisneros, however, said his son functioned well with medication and had been taking it. "We were very encouraged because it seemed like he had recovered completely, but he still had to be on the medication," he said.

Officer Boer testified that she and Kula had gone to the empty level of the parking garage to talk after responding to a call. They were there for a short time when a car driven by Cisneros arrived.

Boer said she shined a spotlight on Cisneros and noticed he was talking on his cellphone. Cisneros then left his car, went to the trunk, got a shotgun and fired from an estimated 20 feet away.